This disclosure generally relates to a communication device for a vending machine and a method for using the same. In particular, this disclosure relates to receiving data from a vending machine and transmitting it to a computing device. In addition, this disclosure relates to a vending machine management system.
Vending machines are found in many different areas: malls, offices, airports, etc. A vending machine may store various items such as foods, beverages, toys, gift cards, electronic devices, etc. Each item available for purchase may have a purchase price and may be dispensed when a user selects the item and provides sufficient funds. A vending machine may accept cash, credit cards, near field communication devices, or other forms of payment.
To restock a vending machine, an operator may count a number of items needed for each type of item. The operator may open up the vending machine and replace the number of items. For instance, the operator may count five bags of jelly beans needed and two bags of potato chips needed. The operator may then restock the vending machine with five bags of jelly beans and two bags of potato chips.
An operator may also need to service a vending machine. To service a vending machine, the operator may take out some or all of the cash from the vending machine, fix any items that are stuck inside, adjust the pricing of one or more items, or fix the vending machine in any other way.
An owner or operator of vending machines may need to restock and/or service the vending machines. In some instances, a plurality of vending machines may be spread out in a small geographic area, e.g. in a same building. In some instances, a subset of the plurality of vending machines may be in a small geographic area while another subset may be in a different geographic area, e.g. a different building.